1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a protective sleeve for enclosing lengths of electrical and E & M conducting devices, such as cables, wiring, and tubing, and more particularly, to a one piece plastic sleeve having male and female locking members located along first and second longitudinal edges which allow the plastic sleeve to be closed by inserting the male member within the female member.
2. Description of Related Art
Many protective tubular enclosures having longitudinal points of attachment are known. Generally, the tubular enclosures are sheets of material wrapped around elongated objects such as wiring, cables, or other forms of tubing which are closed along the longitudinal edges to provide a sealed environment for the object or objects contained therein. For example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 1,895,133 to Quarnstrom; 2,067,665 to Holt; 3,625,259 to Kennedy; 4,513,787 to Hegler; and 4,944,976 to Plumer all disclose various designs of tubular enclosures, however, each of the above-mentioned patents fall short of the advantages offered by the present invention.
The tubular enclosures presently available do not include separate sealing means for preventing the introduction of undesirable elements such as soil or water into the protective sleeve over an emended period of time. Further, the sealing means of the present invention can be attached to the protective sleeve after the object or objects to be contained have been inserted into the protective sleeve.
The invention provides a protective sleeve having increased tubular strength for spooling the sleeve onto a reel to facilitate transportation of the sleeve. The sleeve is extruded in the form of a closed conduit and has an outwardly projecting female locking member. The sleeve is slit longitudinally to allow for the insertion of object or objects and once the object or objects have been inserted, the edge of the sleeve distal to the female locking member is inserted into the gap provided by the female locking member. The distal edge and the female locking member are then sealed together.
Accordingly, it is the primary object of the present invention to provide a protective sleeve which incorporates sealing means which preclude the introduction of undesired elements such as soil and water.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a protective sleeve which allows for the introduction of sealing means after the object or objects to be contained have been inserted into the protective sleeve and just prior to closing the structure.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a protective sleeve which is selectively openable and closeable.
It is another object to provide a protective sleeve which can be slit open prior to inserting the object or objects to be contained and resealed once the object or objects have been inserted.